Her story: Courtney Schapiro, 28, grew up in Owings Mills. She is a speech language pathologist in Chicago. Her mother and stepfather, Susie and David Nevins, live in Pikesville. Her father and stepmother, Jeffrey and Amy Schapiro, live in Owings Mills.

His story: Jon Sider, 28, grew up in Highland Park, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. He, along with his brother Mark, is co-founder and co-owner of Greater Than, a Chicago-based company that sells all-natural infused coconut water containing electrolytes. His parents, Jan and Steve Sider, live in Highland Park.

Their story: Courtney and Jon met in the fall of 2003 on the second night of their freshman year at Tulane University in New Orleans. It wasn't until their junior year that they became a couple.

"We always kind of ran in the same circle, and we always kind of had a spark," says Courtney. "It was always bound to happen. The timing finally worked."

After graduation, the two made a deal that Courtney would move to Chicago if she was accepted into the graduate program at Northwestern University. After living together in Chicago for a few years, Jon decided it was time to take the next step.

The proposal: On Oct. 12, 2012, Jon proposed with a slideshow he created, featuring photos and videos from their six years of dating.

"I told her I had to show her something that we were working on for Greater Than. I opened up my computer and started playing the video and that was how I proposed to her," says Jon.

"It was like a timeline of our relationship," Courtney says. "The best part was that he had arranged for my entire family to fly in and surprise me at a celebratory dinner."

The venue: About 250 guests attended the Jewish ceremony and reception at Woodholme Country Club in Pikesville. Courtney says getting married in Maryland was always the plan, and with many friends and family visiting Baltimore for the first time, she was excited to show them her hometown.

Flowers: Fleur de Lis Florist of Baltimore created the bridal bouquets using lavender hydrangeas and blush, lavender and cream garden roses. The centerpieces featured blush and lavender garden roses, white and lavender hydrangeas, and tall stalks of white gladiolus.

Her dress: The bride wore a strapless, trumpet-style silk organza gown with a dropped waist and ruffled petal skirt by Romona Keveza. She also wore her cousin Amanda Gluck's beaded sash as her "something borrowed."

Bridesmaids' dresses: The 12 bridesmaids wore floor-length strapless chiffon gowns in three different shades of gray from the Dessy Group at Nordstrom Wedding Suite.

Men's attire: The men wore black tuxedos of their choice with charcoal gray ties, except for Jon, who wore a bowtie. As a gift, Jon gave each groomsman a monogrammed button-down dress shirt from the Tuxedo House in Timonium.

Music: Milan 77, a band from Philadelphia-based entertainment company Events beyond Expectation, entertained the guests. For their first dance, Courtney and Jon performed a swing dance to "You're Still the One" by Orleans.

Food and dessert: An appetizer salad trio and the main course, which included broiled Alaskan salmon and filet mignon, were provided by Woodholme. SugarBakers Cakes of Catonsville provided the cake, which had alternating layers of yellow cake with chocolate fudge filling and chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling.

Favors: Each guest received a giant chocolate chip cookie and a bottle of Greater Than.

Special touch: Baltimore-based event artist Patricia Bennett created a painting during the wedding that combined the ceremony and receptions scenes on one canvas. To incorporate New Orleans and the piano bar they and their friends frequented throughout college, Courtney and Jon surprised their guests by hiring pianist John Callaghan to play at an after-party, following the reception.

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